


Interlude

by IvoryCrest



Series: The Shadow & The Light [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Could be spies but they have a hot wizard, Essik has thoughts on people, M/M, Shadowgast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 01:48:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18841165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvoryCrest/pseuds/IvoryCrest
Summary: Essik has some thoughts while he watches.





	Interlude

The empire mage is an oddity. He keeps to himself for the most part. Even for all the time he spends with his companions, there is a separation. Whether that is the intent or not, Essik couldn't decipher.

He spends hours reading, at a much faster rate than most. Sometimes he helps the goblin and the halfing-man with their alchemy. He's a quick study. When he'd offered to teach the man a few spells of his magic, he found the tired expression vanish and his eyes light up with renewed life.

He could be a spy. They could all be spies. They could've been tasked with coming here, gaining trust and a foothold near the Bright Queen. They've made great headway if that's the case, but they aren't doing much to close the distance between their groups. They meet and talk amongst themselves with furrowed brows, but they always greet him with genuine smiles, some anyway.

They're all interesting. They have their quirks. The half-orc is kind with smiles and handshakes, but Essik sees the cracks in the mask he wears. The tiefling is joyful and energetic as anything he's seen, but the smile falters if her words fall short. The monk is aggressive in her nature but tries her best to seem nice, though she fails spectacularly. The goblin is more preoccupied with her husband, who's adjusted quite well. The firbolg offers tea. While it's lovely, it's strange to drink something grown from the dead, but in a sense, everything grows from something dead.

The Assamir woman doesn't pay much mind to Essik. In truth, she's somewhat like Caleb, keeping a distance from her friends, if she feels they are just that. She has a particular liking to storms. On those nights, she normally stands on the balcony of her room, ignoring the rain drenching her.

Caleb is something else. He studies transcribes and takes an interest in anything arcane. He had a focus that seems to rival Essik's, but there's something off. The man loses himself at times. He'll stop in the middle of reading and his eyes will glaze over. The man will stay like that for minutes, sometimes hours. It's a curiosity to what happened to cause that break in his mind.

When he leaves that frozen state, he stops what he's doing and finds one of his companions. Normally, it's the monk or goblin. Sometimes, it's whoever catches him first. He uses them as a distraction until he rights himself. Whether he admits it to himself or not, they are his ground in a sense. They keep him from going too far and know when to bring him back. They're his family, his own Den.

Essik hates to admit that he might find the man attractive. When Caleb had asked about dunamancy, he didn't do very well in convincing Essik to teach him. However, the wizard had confidence that spoke to Essik. It was a relapse in judgment, but there's no regret.

Later this week, he has another lesson with Caleb, seeing if he's made any progress. It'll be interesting to see where it goes.


End file.
